This is a message to anyone working in humanitarian or emergency response
agencies, particularly in developing countries.
A group of us at University College London (UCL) are exploring the topic of
security and inclusion of people with disabilities during disasters, focusing
initially on communal emergency shelter accessibility for persons with
disabilities, particularly in natural disasters and in developing countries.
The subject is being explored through both the social and technical
(engineering) sciences routes, and involves a literature search and a
questionnaire to people working in agencies that may have some experience of
this issue. The questions are based on the 3 themes of:
1. Evacuation to the shelter
2. Shelter experiences (management, facilities, social issues)
3. Transition out of shelter.
We hope that this research will draw together information on realistic options
for improving shelter access routes, facilities and management, and recovery
support (in the transition out of shelter) for persons with disabilities. It is
intended to stimulate subsequent applied research into this field, leading to
improved models of design and practice.
We would greatly appreciate your contribution (or that of colleagues in your
organisation), through completing the attached Agency questionnaire. This
should take approximately 20 minutes to complete. Please return it to Helen
Bottomley ([log in to unmask]) by Friday 6th November.
Any further information, resources (for example, agency guidelines regarding
persons with disabilities in emergency shelters) or contacts you can share
with us, would also be much appreciated.
We look forward to hearing from you soon.
Best wishes
John Twigg
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